The purpose of this CPD is to provide you with an overview of the Corium brick cladding system. You will see from the opening slide how the system is put together. It consists of a HPS200 horizontal rail, an extruded clay tile and a historic lime mortar.

Navigate through each step of the CPD using the left and right arrows to review the content. At the end of each section are some questions, these are required if you wish to obtain a certificate upon completing the course.

Learning aims

To provide an understanding of an architectural brick cladding system and how it was developed and tested

Principles of installation

Benefits of brick cladding

Technical credentials

Aesthetic options and case studies

To provide an understanding of the characteristics and limitations of brick cladding

To allow confident specification of the system

Taylor Maxwell will provide a broad overview of all aspects of cladding not just Corium and they/we can assist with most of the elements of overall wall construction so what is required is achieved or as close as is possible.

We will also clarify how the system is put together, how the details are achieved and how we can assist to hopefully make the overall construction cost effective.

We would highlight the benefits of brick cladding and Corium such as lightweight, thermal improvement, better acoustics, overall thinner wall and with time savings throughout the overall construction.

Clarification of our testing data from BRE, CWCT and Wintech and whether the system is going relating to testing with the BBA. This presentation will also provide illustrations of sizes, orientation and colours for the designer to choose from.

Most importantly clarify whether the system is suitable for the project or not and if Taylor Maxwell have an alternative product that is more suitable.

Finally, having the comfort to know that the right product has been recommended, at the right budget rates to the best overall design that is possible.

What is Corium?

System manufactured by Wienerberger & distributed in the UK by Taylor Maxwell

The system has been established and widely used in the UK for 15 years after gaining BRE accreditation.

The Corium system consists of profiled rails, with a profiled clay brick tile which interlock and are pointed with a bespoke mortar.

The system has been used in a variety of building sectors, including residential, education, health care and retail.

This System was formulated by three companies, Terrapin Modular Building who own the patent (2331770), Baggeridge Brick Plc and Corus which now part of Tata.

Wienerberger Plc bought Baggeridge of which Corium was a part and in January 2010 Taylor Maxwell took over the sales and distribution rights for the UK. The system has now been around for 15 years after gaining BRE accreditation.

The horizontal rails are formed from HPS200 and are manufactured by Hadleys, West Bromwich under licence. They are manufactured in 2400mm lengths and can be manufactured in additional length with a small additional cost. There are 3 main height of rails – 60mm, 67mm and 75mm.

The brick tiles are extruded in clay which are manufactured in Germany by a specialist floor tile manufacturer. The profile of the tile is designed specifically to clip into the HPS200 horizontal rail. The brick tiles are positioned into the horizontal rails by hitting in with a rubber mallet which is necessary so that the tiles are secure within the rail section. The colours and finishes that can be achieved are vast and can be replicated from any brick supplier.

The mortar is an Easipoint Historic Lime KL which has been specially manufactured for this system. This mortar is used specifically because of the very low water absorption of the brick tiles and therefore bonds better to the brick tile and the horizontal rail behind

The fixings are normally 5.5mm stainless steel hexagon headed drive screws with a neoprene washer and can be purchased from any local supplier. There is gauge line on the horizontal rails is to illustrate where the fixing should go so that the fixing does not collide with back of the brick tile. The normal fixing length is 32mm and the neoprene washer is there for two reasons, firstly to prevent any water transgressing down the thread and secondly to isolate the two metals.

All the illustrations throughout the presentation are from different sectors such as rail, commercial, schools, colleges, universities, hi-rise apartments, hospitals and student accommodation.

The following video provides a brief introduction into the visual appearance of the system and its use in a variety of different sizes, colours, finishes and applications.

Project Requirements

Project Requirements

The brick cladding system recommended will always depend on the unique requirements of each project.

Once we understand more about the specific scheme requirements, we are able to tailor a solution to match.

Project Requirements

Height

Wind Loading

Cladding Zone

Insulation Requirements

Sound & Acoustics

Fire

Colours & Finishes

Location of Site

Programme – Speed

Certification – e.g. NHBC

Bond Pattern

Mortar Colour

Typical benefits of Corium brick cladding

Typical benefits of Corium brick cladding

Installation can be up to 5 to 6 times quicker than laying traditional brickwork.

Many other systems rely on adhesive to hold the brick slick in place – this system benefits from a double fix from both the mechanical clip and secondary applied mortar.

The system can be installed in at temperatures and moisture conditions where traditional bricks could not be laid. Rail and tile can be installed in any weather but the mortar must be above freezing. Off-site fabrication is possible with the Corium system and has been used on several schemes in the UK. This offers many advantages to the Main Contractor and Client through the accuracy and speed of being fabricated offsite.

The fire resistance of the system is class 0 which is also stated in BRE certificate. This particular system has excellent durability and is very robust; all of the performance data is stated in the BRE certificate. Because the water absorption is less than 1% there is no issues with frost or salt to the face of the tile.

Typical benefits of Corium brick cladding

Fast track construction

Mechanical fixing

Construction ability in all weathers

Off-site fabrication

Fire resistance

Durable & robust

The tiles are totally frost resistant a negligible salt content

Installation

Installation

Strength: The horizontal rail profiled steel sections are fixed to the backing structure. Sections are designed to interlock horizontally. The brick tile can then be installed by hitting in with a rubber mallet. The brick tile has to be hit in over the fold in the steel clip/rail.

This system is the only system that has this “clipability” and does not rely on any adhesive on to mess or insulation to secured against the carrier system fixed at 600mm centres is a waterproof facade.

The brick tiles are extruded under high pressure, they are then cut to size because of this process most of the air and moisture has been pushed out of the clay. The brick tiles are then fed into a dryer overnight. The following day the brick tiles are then kilned. This process eliminates any salting to the face of the tile.

Installation

Speed: The system is very quick to install 5 to 6 times faster than traditional brick, the rails and tiles can be installed in any weather it’s only the mortar that requires a dry day or a covered access

Installation

Simplicity: The system has no restrictions relating to bond pattern or direction of installation whether that be stack, stretcher or Flemish bonds. The system can and has been installed horizontally, vertically, and in soffit applications.

The tiles can be produced in many different colours and finishes varying from traditional brick matches to high glazed finishes and from smooth to sanded and textured finishes.

Installation

Applications & substrates

Applications & substrates

Concrete/Masonry/Refurbishment

Steel

Timber

SIPs Panels

Off Site Fabrication

Applications & substrates

The horizontal rails are fixed back to a vertical carrier rail system which creates the cavity. These carrier rails are normally steel, aluminium or timber depending on the substrate that is being used. They can be tophats, zeds, helping hands or timber battens

The substrates that the system is normally fixed back to are SFS stud and track, timber frame and SIPS, concrete and masonry, and existing brick facades. The most popular is SFS stud and track with approximately 75% of the completed projects, followed by timber frame/SIPS with approximately 24% and concrete/masonry and refurb with approximately 1%.

Easy to replace

Easy to replace

Damaged tiles can be fully removed, cleaned out and a new tile clipped in to place before the mortar is applied. If the mortar has been applied then an angle grinder will be needed to be used to cut the tile out. Only one tile needs to be removed not a whole area.

Mortar Options

The mortar is a Historic Lime which has been specially manufactured for this system

Applied with a gun applicator

Bucket handle & weather struck profiles slight 3mm recess

Historic KL Lime based Mortar available in 10 standard colours

Bespoke mixes available upon request

Mortar Options

The mortar is a Easipoint historic lime KL and is available in 10 basic colours but they can match most Tilcon mixes.

The product is gun applied with a large mastic gun. The finishes that can be achieved are bucket handle, weather struck and a slight recess of 3mm. The gun applicator can be mechanically or manually pumped. Once applied to the joint it is allowed to semi dry and then the excess material is cleared off and then the relevant finish is achieved.

Mortar Options

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CPD Q&A

You’ve reached the end of the CPD. To make sure you’ve taken on board the key learnings of this course, please fill out the quick multiple choice Q&A below. This will certify that you have completed the CPD and provide you with an email certificate, which, if the course is accredited, you can share with RIBA.

Question

Which of these is not a standard main height of the rails for the Corium system?